Grain-car door.



E. W. H ART'OUGH, GRAIN CAR DOOR.

' APPLICATlON FILED AUG. 19. 19l6. mfimwm Patented Apr. 23, 1918-.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. W. HARTOUGH.

GRAIN CAR DOOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG- 19. 1916.

Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- l e l all E- W. HAHTOUGH.

GRAIN CAR DOOR.

Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

EDWARD W. HARTOUGH, OF DENI-SON, TEXAS.

GRAIN-CAR DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 11918..

Application filed August 19, 1916. Serial No. 115,825.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD N. Hare TOUGH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Denison, county of Grayson, and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Grain- Car Doors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to outside sliding doors for box cars, similar to that shown and described in my pending application for patent, Serial No. 33,918, filed June 14, 1915. The object of the present invention is to arrange the door for use in transporting grain without requiring any additional grain door or planking on the inside of the door opening.

The invention consists in the arrangement of the track and hangers for supporting the door at the top so that it is free to swing open at the bottom when in closed position; and in the means for regulating the swinging open of the bottom to control the flow of grain in emptying the car. The invention further consists in the means for main taining the edges of the door tight within the edges of the door opening when locked in closed position.

Further objects and details of the invention appear in connection with the following description of the embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanaying drawings. The invention is also stated in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein the same reference characters designate like parts in the several views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a box car, showing a door embodying the invention in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same, part of the roof being removed to disclose the door track and door arrangement;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through the side of the car and door, on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 3, showing the door in open position, the cross-section line being taken through the middle of the door opening.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View similar t Fig. 3, illustrating the invention applied to another type of box car;

, Fig. 6 is a horizontal cross-section through the side plate and track for the door hangers, on the line 6-6 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal cross-section through the door and side of the car on the line 77 in Fig. 1, showing the door in closed posi- -ion;

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the side of the car at the lower corner of the door opening, showing the door and control mechanism in open position; and

Fig. 9 is a side view of a portion of the car illustrated in Fig. 5, showing the lower half of the door and the control mechanisn'i in closed position.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, d, 6, 7 and 8 the invention is shown applied to an ordinary wooden box car having wood siding 11 and roof sheathing 12, although it is not restricted to wooden cars. The siding is nailed at top and bottom to the side plate 13 and side sill ll, respectively, which are connected by the vertical door posts 15, and by the usual side posts and braces inside of the side sheathing. The door 16 is suspended from a track 17 by means of two hangers 18, one at each upper corner of the door. The hangers are bolted one to the outside face of the door and one to the inside face. They project above the top of the door and are provided with horizontal spindles projecting outwardly from their upper ends on which rollers or wheels 19 are journaled. The roller near the back edge of the door pro jects outwardly farther than the one near the front edge. The track 17 is channel shape with the web vertical and the flanges facing in toward the side of the car. The upper flange has its edge bent up and secured to a spacing strip 20 which is nailed to the fascia board 21 along the eaves of the car. The rollers 19 run on the lower flange of the track, and support the door clear of the side of the car except in closed position. The rollers are held on the track by the in nor vertical flanges 22. The track slants inwardly along its entire length from back end to front end, except at about the middle where it is bent sharply in toward the side of the car, and the hangers gradually ap proach the side of the car when the door is being closed. As. the door moves sidewise toward closed position, first the front roller and then the back roller travels across the bent portion 23 of the track and are succes- .81 over its lower half to protect it.

sively carried in toward the side of the car,

thereby swinging first the front edge and then the back edge of the door into the door opening. After the front edge of the door passes into the opening its top is gradually carried inby the slanting track until in closed position the front edge of the door brings up squarely against the front door post flush with the outside of the car. The back end of the track beyond the path of travel of the back roller bent in against the side of the car in order to avoid a projecting corner at the end of the track which might interfere with other equipment or obstructions along the right of way. The lower edges of the fascia board 21 and se curing strip 20 are notched to receive the 7 ends of the track and provide clearance for the hangers. r

i The top of the door is protected by means of a metal plate 2% which projects outwardly beneaththe track 17. At the back edge of the door the plate is beveled off to avoid interference with the door post when the door is opened or closed. The bottom of the door is protected by a 2 1m 25 which is secured along one flange to the outer face of the door, with its other flange projecting down beneath the inner face of the door. The middle portion of the Z-bar 25 is spaced below the bottom of the door far enough to permitthe door sill plate 26 to project into this space when the door is closed tight. The front and back edges of the door are protected by angle plates which are secured to the front face of the door with their free edges projecting inwardly and spaced from the edges of the door. The space between the front angle plate 27 and the front edge of the door is just wide enough to receive theouter edge of the angle strip 28 on the front door post; and the space between the rear angle plate 29 and the rear edge of the door is wide enough to permit the rear edge of the door to clear the rear door postwhen the door is slid open or closed. The angle strip 30011 the rear door post has its front edgespaced away from the post, far enough to receive the inwardly projecting flange of the rear angle plate 29. The inwardly projecting flanges of the angle plates 27 and 29 are narrower at the top than at the bottom,

' tapering in width uniformly from bottom to top, to permit the door to he slid lengthwise without interfering with the door posts or door post angle strips.

The inside of the door has ametal plate The upper half of the door is provided with a suitable grain filling door 32 or" usual construction. Catches 33 are pivoted on the outer side of the door at about midway of its height, one. at the front edge and one at the rear edge, to .retain'the door in tight close dposition, The free ends of these catches project beyond the front and rear edges of the door and engage in pockets 3-iin the outer edges of the door posts. as shown in Fig. 7, the door swinging in far enough for this purpose.

The swinging movement of the door to open and close the opening at the bottom is controlled by means of cranks 35 pivoted to the side sill below the door opening. and having rollers 36 on their cranked upper ends which bear against the depending flange of the Z-bar 25 under the bottom of the door. The lower end of each crank 35 is provided with a pivoted lever 37 for turning the crank and forcing the bottom of the door in to close the opening beneath and. for permitting the bottom of the door to swing open gradually to allow the escape of grain beneath it. The ends of the levers 37 may be hooked up into a clevis 38 and secured by a locking pin 39 to hold the crank arms and. door in tightly closed position. When the lever arms are swung around to open the door they may be hooked up out of the way by the hooks 10.

In Figs. 5 and 9 the invention is shown applied to a metal car. the control mechanism being slightly different from that shown in Figs. 1 to 4-. 6, 7 and 8. The door 41 is metal, and is hung from a track 42 which is secured to the side of the car above the door opening and arranged to guide the door into and out of the door opening in much the same manner as the track shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The front and back edges of the door have double walled flanges 4-3 which hook over tne angle strips ist on the inner faces of the door posts. These double walled flanges are as deep the thickness of the door posts at the bottom. and get narrower as they near the top of the door, so as to swing out clear of the angle strips at when the door is swung open at the bottom.

The lower edge of the door 41 is provided with an outwardly extending double walled flange 45 which hooks over the door sill at) in tightly closed position of the door. The lower extremity of the hook flange 45 is turned down, forming a depending flange it; for the door control mechanism to operate against. The door is held shut and its degree of swinging open is controlled by two crank arms 47 which are pivoted to the side sill beneath the door opening, and which are caused to turn together by a link Rollers 49 are mounted on the extremities of the crank arms for hearing against the door flange 46. The crank arms are turned by means of a rod 50 which connects them to an operating lever 51, pivoted on the side of the car to one side of the door opening. The operating lever may be locked in closed position of the door by means of a hasp 52 and hook 53, thereby locking the door tightly shut.

The loading door 32 is provided with angle strips 54 around its edges for interlooking with door strips 55 spaced within the door opening to make a tight joint when the door is closed, as shown in Fig. 3.

It is apparent that other modifications in the construction of the door, track and control mechanism can be made for accommodating the invention to other conditions,

and the invention isnot rest 'icted to the shapes and arrangements shown.

I claim the following my invention:

1. A sliding door construction for box cars comprising a track, door hangers spaced apart on said track upon which the door hangs, said track being inclined inwardly so as to guide the door in flush with the edge of the door opening, and cranks pivoted to the car beneath the door opening, whereby the lower portion of the door may be swung in beyond the face of the car.

2. A sliding door construction for box cars comprising a track, door hangers spaced apart on said track upon which the door hangs, said track being inclined inwardly so as to guide the door in flush with the door opening, a strengthening plate on the inside face of the door, catches on said door, said catches being adaptedv to engage the adjacent ends of the door posts when the door is swung inwardly, cranks pivoted to the car beneath the door opening, said cranks being adapted to engage the lower portion of the door, whereby when the arms of said cranks are swung inwardly, the door hangers will pivot on the track and allow the bottom portion of the door to swing in the door opening beyond the face of the car.

3. A sliding flush door construction for box cars comprising a single track having a short jog near its middle making a small angle with the end portions, and door hangers spaced apart on said track upon which the door slides, said track being arranged above the door opening and slanting outwardly therefrom along most of its length with the jog near one door post in position to be traversed by both door hangers, said h angers being disposed at different distances from the plane of the inside face of said door corresponding to the outward slanting of the track in the space between them.

4L. A sliding flush door having like hangers near its upper corners for suspending it from a track, said hangers being arranged one on the inside and the other on the outside of said door and projecting above its top edge, whereby they are disposed at dif ferent distances from the plane of the in side edge of said door.

5. A sliding flush door construction for box cars comprising a door fitting the opening between the door posts and a track upon which the door slides, said track being arranged above the. door opening and arranged to guide the door inward between the door posts, metal strips on the sides of the door posts with their outer edges spaced within the door opening, and door strips upon the front and back edges of said door parallel with said edges and spaced therefrom, the inner edges of said door strips fitting between said metal strips and the door posts to exclude the weather in closed position of said door.

A sliding flush door construction for box cars comprising a track having a short jog near its middle making a small angle with the end portions, door hangers spaced apart on said track upon which the door slides, said t 'ack being arranged above the door opening with. the jog near one door post in position to be traversed by both door hangers, and door strips upon the front and back edges of said door cooperating with strips upon the door posts to exclude the weather in closed position of said door, said door strips being widest at the bottom, narrowing off to the top, whereby when the bottom of said door is swung away from the car said strips disengage and permit the door to he slid along the track.

7. A sliding flush door construction for box cars comprising a track of uniform cross-section from end to end having a short ]Og near its middle making a small angle with the end portions, door hangers spaced apart on said track upon which the door slides, said door hangers being provided with rollers on their outer sides and said track being arranged outside of said rollers above the door opening with the jog near one door post in position to be traversed by both door hangers one after the other to carry first one edge of the door and then the other inside of the door opening, and a door strip horizontally arranged upon the bottom of said door and spaced. under it and swinging beneath the door sill in closed position of the door to exclude the weather.

8. A door having a Z-bar along its lower edge, the web of the Z-bar being horizontally disposed and spaced below the lower edge of the door, in combination with a metal member secured flush with the floor of the car and forming a door sill projecting into and substantially filling the space be tween said Z-bar and the bottom edge of the door in closed position.

9. A grain car door construction comprising a track, a door having hangers sliding on said track, said door being free to swing outward at its lower edge in closed position, and control means on the car below the lower edge of said door for locking said door in closed position and for controlling the outward swinging movement of its lower edge, said control means being pivoted to swing inside of the clearance line of the side of the car when free,

10. A grain car door construction C0111- prlsmg a track, a door havmg hangers sl1ding on said track, said door being free to prising a track, a door having hangers slid mg on said track, said door being free to swing outward at its lower edge 111 closed position, and control means on the car below the lower ed 'e 0t said door for lOCkID b c:

said door in closed position and for controlling the outward swinging movement of its lower edge, said control means consisting of a pair of cranks arranged beneath the door to engage therewith, means horizontally arranged beneath said door for turning said cranks, said means being housed within the outside face of the car side, and a means for locking said crank turning means up beneath the'door to secure the door in closed position.

12. A car door constructioncomprising a door frame, a grain door mounted to swing Copies of this patent may be obtained for in flush within said frame, said door having flanged metal strips mounted on the sides and bottoms thereof, having the flanged w portion parallel with but spaced away from the edges of said door to form narrow grooves, and strips of metal mounted on the door frame and within the door opening, said last mentioned strips having outwardly extending portions arranged in position to enter said grooves when the door is swung inwardly.

13. A combination liush grain door and sliding side door construction con'iprisiug a one-piece track having a bend at about its middle and an outwardly oll'set end portion extending to one side of the door opening, hangers upon the upper edge of the door near its corners arranged to travel over said bendL successively, means for swinging the lower edge of the door outwardly in closed position, metal strips within the door opening around'its edges having their outer edges free, and metal strips around. the edges of the door and having free edges projecting inwardly to engage the outwardly projecting free edges of the strips within the door opening, said strips being arranged for disengagement when the deer is swung open at the bottom.

Signed at Denison, Texas, this 15th day of August, 1916.

EDWARD lV. HARTOUGH.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

